Crime & Safety

Update: School Buses Collide, Driver Injured

Some of 38 children complained of back pain but were checked out and sent to school.

Updated 2:15 p.m. Monday

Two school buses headed for Lilburn-area schools collided Monday around 8:45 a.m., with around 10 of the 38 students on one of the buses complaining of back pain and one school bus driver being transported to the hospital for minor injuries.

None of the children were hurt seriously, according to police and school-system reports. All were treated and released.

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Gwinnett Police Cpl. Edwin Ritter said the accident occurred at Rockbridge Road and Rockbridge Way in unincorporated Norcross. Ritter said a Gwinnett County School bus stopped to load children, when a special-needs bus on its way to Camp Creek Elementary School pulled up behind. A third bus, which was headed to Lilburn Middle School, rear-ended the second bus when it was unable to stop in time, said Ritter.

The bus driver of the third bus was found to be at fault for following too closely and issued a citation, according to Ritter. The name of the driver has not been released.

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Ritter said neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to have played a part in the accident.

Ritter said 10 of the 38 children on the third bus complained of back pain and were “treated on the scene” by the Gwinnett County Fire Department. Jorge Quintana, a spokesman with Gwinnett County Public Schools, said the number of hurt children was nine. The Fire Department had the number at 11. All of the children checked out OK, however.

“The fire department looked at them, made sure they were all right, then sent them to school,” said Ritter.

The driver of the third bus was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center in Duluth with injuries that were described as minor.

The second smaller bus, which was struck from behind, had two special needs children in it who were not injured. The driver and a monitor on that bus did complain of injuries but did not wish to be treated, according to a news release. 

The first bus was not involved in the accident.

Quintana said the accident is under investigation by the school system. “The bus managers [drivers] have been relieved from their driving duties pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard procedure,” Quintana said in an emailed statement.

Quintana added the nine students treated at the scene were excused from CRCT testing, which began Monday in Gwinnett, and will be allowed to make up their work later in the testing period.


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